[axiomae]

I'm in Queensland, it's blowing a gale, and all I want to do is curl up with a DVD and a glass of wine and relax. DD is 7 months old, however, so we're playing and doing what you do with babies, but it got me thinking - at what age did you let your LO watch TV?

I know the guidelines say 'no screens' before 2yo, but we have the TV on watching the news and DD glances at the screen a bit while playing, although she doesn't 'watch,' IYKWM? She is more interested in her toys!

At what age did you start putting shows on for your LOs? I've just been thinking about it and am curious!

[Tobias'smum]

oh god my ds "watched" heaps then - i am a person that can sleep anywhere (i have fallen asleep stading up ) so i watched tv while breast feeding to keep me awake otherwise i would fall asleep on the couch which i think was worse then letting him watch tv.

Sometimes i would put shows on i background and he would dance to songs etc

ds is 23 months

[Giltine]

I always have the TV on. It's usually playing music channels as I don't have a radio. DD is 5 months old, and while she'll stop and look at it every now and then, she's much more interested in her toys, the cats, and whichever human is currently paying attention to her.

[Sif]

#1 - first time when he was two (and three months later he got to watch the planes crash into the twin towers - oh joy, NOT)...

#2, 3, 4 - pretty much from birth, because whenever #1 had it on, they would 'watch' it, too...

[Aimless]

With DS1, I was very pedantic about not having him watch TV. He was almost 2 years old when he started watching TV - and only a maximum of 30 minutes at a time.

With DS2, he watched TV much earlier - maybe about 9 months. It came to the point that I was going crazy and I needed a break, and TV was the only thing that kept DS2 entertained. Granted, it wasn't long but it gave me 10 minutes.

[Angelina Balleri...]

I had the TV on in my hospital room after I had both babies.
I think they were both hooked on In the Night Garden from early on.

They have never not been allowed to watch age appropriate TV.

[vanessa71]

Both kids were 2 before they watched TV. Mainly because of the set up of our house, I blocked the lounge room off with a gate because we had stairs, so we spent most of our time in the room that simply doesn't have a TV.

[JuniorSpies]

The day I started letting my son watch the TV during arsenic hour was the day I became a better Mum. I think he was 11 months?

I don't watch TV so he'd pretty much had no screen time before then.

[Jemstar]

Well I had the TV on in the hospital room. Does that count? I've never really bought into the hysteria over TV and electronic entertainment in general. That old adage 'everything in moderation' I reckon.

[GoodGollyMolly]

ABC2 is your friend....

Probably from 7 or 8 months I'd pop him in front of whatever was on at 5pm while I get dinner ready. For 30-45 min keeps him happy.

Don't have it on the rest of the day though just the radio. DS is like his Dad- hell zone out and stAre at whatever is on the screen if it's on!